Twenty 1
by PisceanGirlPower
Summary: MINIFIC :: Mia's gonna turn 21 and Michael seems to have something up his sleeve! What could it be? R&R!
1. Chapter One

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

**Okay...I used to write a LOT (usually for the Mediator archive) but now it's been a while since I wrote a fanfic!! But as I was re-reading the PD series after a while, I felt inspired to write a mini-fic in the last few days of my summer vacation! I hope you like it! Here's a background before you start reading, though:  
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**_Mia is about to turn 21, and has finished college. Michael is 25, and lives in his own studio apartment in Mahattan, about fifteen minutes from the Loft by limo. Rocky is 6. He is currently sharing Mia's bedroom because his own is being repainted even though Mia insisted to Helen that wallpapering would, although more expensive, would be a wiser choice keeping in mind Rocky's allergy-proneness. But Helen, as always, ignores Mia's well-meaning advice in interest of her little brother, and goes ahead with the painting anyway. _  
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**I hope the story turns out well.**

**This story will most probably have 2-3 chapters.**

** Please review!! :)**

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**Friday, June 30, 3 am, the Loft**

Ugh.

Why am I even alive at this ungodly hour? Oh yeah – Rocky woke me up because, despite every ounce of effort in my body to, I have been unsuccessful in getting him to abandon his habit of kicking, punching and screaming in his sleep. Seriously, I have lost count of the number of times I have gently tried to explain to my little brother that though I understand he might be having dreams about being a partner-in-action to Jackie Chan, Jane and Uncle in kicking some bad-guy butt (yes, we are talking about the animated series _The Adventures of Jackie Chan_), it is not nice to kick people out of their peaceful slumber with cries of 'Haaaiiiiyyah! Take THAT! And THAT!' at three in the morning.

That boy does NOT listen.

But then, to be fair, I suppose it might be a little on the too-much side to expect control over subconscious actions from a six-year-old who watches _SpongeBob Squarepants_ with as much devotion as I used to once watch _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, idolizes G.I. Joe and is convinced that Barbie is actually a troll who will eat anything with black hair and under the age of seven (i.e., Rocky Thermopolis-Gianini).

Anyway. Now that I'm up, I'd might as well use the peace and quiet of the sleeping household (an EXCEPTIONAL rarity, I assure you) to do something. Because unfortunately, I am one of those unlucky human beings who, once jolted out of their sleep, finds it fully impossible to return to the Land of Nod.

I scrounged out one of my old journals while searching for something the other day, though…one all the way back from the time I turned fifteen, in my FRESHMAN year at Albert Einstein High! You know, when that whole Rommel-tripping-Jangbu-Pinasa-the-Nepalese-busboy-at-Les-Hautes-Manger-and-costing-him-his-job thing happened, and Lilly decided to make out with him in my hall closet at my birthday party. Wow. That's pretty hard to forget, I guess.

Anyway. So I found the list of birthday presents I'd wanted for my birthday six years back, and I decided to make one for my twenty-first birthday (which is in twenty one hours!!!!!!!!!!!):

**WHAT I WOULD LIKE FOR MY TWENTY-FIRST BIRTHDAY**

**BY MIA THERMOPOLIS**

**AGED 20 YEARS AND 364 DAYS**

**(although a more practical list)**

1) No Jangbu Pinasa-type incidents. Ha ha.

2) A new laptop (my old Lenovo is seriously acting up these days…it would so not do if it decided to auto-delete another folder like it did last week. Although thank goodness, it wasn't something THAT important…just a list of some sites I was curious to check out. I would have DIED if it was some of my writing!!!)

3) A pair of pretty, non-Doc Marten shoes I can ACTUALLY WALK IN. (Big mistake mentioning this to Grandmère without the ACTUALLY WALK IN part, though. She immediately dragged me to Chanel and forced me into a pair of black patent pumps with 4-inch heels, and made me practice walking in them while going all 'Oh, Amelia, I'm so glad you finally grew out of those hideous boots you are always lugging your feet around in!' Which, excuse me, but Doc Martens are extremely comfortable and practical. And besides, I do wear Converse high-tops, too.)

4) Contact lenses (I do not know why I don't have these already, actually. How I hated that day a year and a half back when the doctor told me, 'Princess Mia, the reason you've been having these headaches since the past few weeks which, er, make you, as you say – _wobbly_, is because you need glasses.' Plus it's super inconvenient to have glasses when Michael and I want to make out, because they get in the way of our kissing but if I take them off then everything goes blurry)

5) A copy of _The Da Vinci Code_. (I am absolutely dying to know what adventure Robert Langdon has next after Lilly forced me to read _Angels & Demons_ but NONE of the three bookstores I've visited so far has a copy! Of the bestseller by Dan Brown!)

6) ???

OK, wow. I ran out of steam at just six. Guess there's nothing I really want…

OH! Another one –

6) End to world hunger.

Alright, I know that that's pretty much exactly as impossible for me to do single-handedly as it was when I was fifteen, but I COULD talk to Dad about a donation to UNICEF so at least a few more poor homeless kids like Johanna – the orphan Grandmère arranged for me to sponsor as my fifteenth birthday gift – get a decent meal and a set of clothes on their back. That would give me some peace.

I'm going online. I know that chances aren't bright of anyone I know being online at this time to IM me, but it's worth a shot.

Oooooo, I was right – it was totally worth a shot!!!! Michael's online! He just IM-ed me!

**SkinnerBx: Hey Mia. What's up? How come you aren't sleeping?**

**FtLouie:Rocky decided to karate-chop me in his sleep again so here I am. What about you?**

**SkinnerBx: I guess it's a manifestation of my experiment.**

Oh yeah…I'd totally forgotten about Michael's experiment to stay awake as long as he can and see how much time that would be. He managed to stay up for twenty-nine hours – which he says he isn't proud of, but I think that's really amazing – and then consequently slept for seventeen hours straight. So I guess he's wide awake now with that much sleep under his belt.

_**FtLouie:Ha ha. Well...I wish I could say the same. About being wide awake, I mean. But I'm not. Because, you know, I've only gotten about three hours' sleep.**_

**SkinnerBx: Oh. Well, are you awake enough to pick between silver, black and orange? **

_**FtLouie: Huh? What for?**_

**SkinnerBx: Just pick.**

_**FtLouie:Um, orange, I guess? That would match with Fat Louie's fur. Ha ha. What is it for, though?**_

**SkinnerBx: You'll see.**

_**FtLouie: Nooo! Tell me! **_

**SkinnerBx: You'll see soon enough. Anyway. Do you have any plans tomorrow?**

_**FtLouie: Yeah...Tina's taking me shopping. Apparently she saw the most gorgeous stretch-satin spaghetti-sleeved Nicole Miller dress at SoHo and says it would be an unforgivable sin if I didn't wear it for my birthday dinner.** (A/N: This is an actual dress! If you wanna see which one, go to this link: _.tv/nicole%20miller%_.)__** Ha ha. Why, though?**_

**SkinnerBx: Hmmm...whatever that is, I bet it'd look gorgeous on you! ;) **

Awwwwwwww!!! He is SO sweet! I have the best boyfriend EVER!

**SkinnerBx:I was asking because there's this new Chinese restaurant downtown which apparently serves dim sum as good as Number One Noodle Son. So I was wondering if you'd want to grab some lunch there. But it's okay if you have plans with Tina. We can always go next weekend.**

Although the claim that anyone can sell anything better than food from the Number One Noodle Son (there's a REASON it's called NUMBER ONE Noodle Son!) is pretty hard to swallow, it's quite a steep claim to make...Tina and I decided it's worth investigating.

_**FtLouie:Oh, me and Tina were planning to go there for lunch tomorrow! I think Boris is coming too. Why don't you come, too? It'll awesome!**_

**SkinnerBx: Sure! I'm in. What time?**

**SkinnerBx: Mia? Are you there?**

**SkinnerBx: Mia? Is everything alright?**

**SkinnerBx: OK...I guess you fell asleep after all. Anyway. Goodnight. I love you! Call me tomorrow about the time. Bye.**

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_**Well, how was it? Please review! I shall update soon :)**_


	2. Chapter Two

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_**Okay...I didn't get too many reviews for the first chapter of the story...so people, please review to let me know how the story's coming along and if anyone has any ideas or comments to make! I hope y'all like this chapter! :)**_

_**Cheers.  
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**Friday, June 30, 10:30 am, in the limo on the way to Tina's**

When I woke up this morning at about nine, I saw my Princess Leia screensaver _(A/N: Yes, it's still the same one even six years later and on a different computer! Haha) _staring at me as usual. Good thing my laptop had been plugged in or the battery would have died since I fell asleep without shutting it down. That thing so needs to retire. And then suddenly remembered that I had been IM-ing Michael last night and realized in horror that I'd fallen asleep before finishing the conversation. I hit the space-bar and saw the chat window on the screen. I hadn't told Michael what time to meet us yet and he wasn't online, so I decided to call him. He answered on the first ring.

"Hi!" I said in an oddly chirpy voice (I just get really really really really really – you get the picture – happy when I talk to Michael. He _is_ my one true love, after all) "Sorry I fell asleep last night…"

"That's okay, Mia," said Michael. Gawd, he is never mad at me no matter what I do. I love him so much! "What's up?"

"Well," I said. "I forgot to tell you what time to meet me and Tina downtown. How does one-thirty sound?"

"One-thirty sounds rad."

"Okay…I guess I'd better go. I gotta get to Tina's in an hour," I replied.

"Alright…bye…I love you," said Michael.

"I love you too," I replied with a smile, my insides going all warm and melty as they always do whenever Michael says he loves me. Even after all these years there isn't one time it doesn't happen! Whether it's on IM, or email, or text message, phone, face-to-face…I just feel like my insides have gone all liquidy (in a pleasant way) and I won't ever be able to stop smiling whenever he says that!

Anyway, much as I wanted to stay on the phone and listen to Michael's voice, it really was time to go. So I hung up and showered and ate and stuff.

As I was scrounging around in the fridge for some Sunny D before making my way out, I heard my mother scream "ROCKYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" on the top of her lungs from her bedroom. I was pretty sure he had gone and woken up from her log-like sleep again. That boy just doesn't learn, does he? But then he _is _six, even if he's intelligent for his age.

I ran into her bedroom to whisk Rocky away to safety before she asphyxiated him with a pillow or something for disrupting her beauty sleep. As usual, Mr G was in the shower at the wrong time. The situation was exactly as I had expected – Rocky was standing there near Mom mumbling "I want s'milk Mommy," (Rocky has a habit of joining any word he says after 'some' with it) and rubbing his eyes, and Mom – cruel mother that she is – with her pillow over her head. Rocky always wakes her up at the exact same time every single morning, and her argument for shrieking and shooing away her own offspring is that it is the last five minutes of sleep she's going to get anyway, so she should be left alone since, in any case, she is going to have to wake up in five minutes. Whatever. I so don't get Mom.

I ushered Rocky out of the room and into the kitchen, poured him a cup of milk and sat him down at the kitchen counter safely and then went into the bedroom to inform Mom that I was leaving for Tina's. Her reply to my "Bye Mom, I'm off to Tina's and shopping, I'll be back by nine," was "Shweznik…" which, of course is not a word. But, living with Helen Thermopolis for almost twenty-one years, I have learnt from experience that when in her sleep, it is simply puerile to expect my mother to say one sensible word, let alone a coherent sentence.

Oh, I've reached Tina's…gotta go. More later.

**Friday, June 30, 11:30 am, in the limo on the way to SoHo with T**

When I got to Tina's, she was HYPERVENTILATING. I told her to calm down, BREATHE and tell me what the matter was, but it was a good five minutes before she did any of the three. Finally, though, she calmed down and managed to rasp "Big. Zit. Coming. No. Concealer. Meeting. Boris." So I ventured to string the words together into a real sentence – "You've got a big zit coming up but don't have any concealer, and you're worried because we're meeting Boris…?" Tina nodded frantically. And I could see what the poor girl meant – there was a bump the size of Montana near her nose, which looked as red as Santa's Christmas suit, threatening to break out into a full-fledged pus-filled monster.

"Well, girl, when Mia is here, why fear?" I said, smiling in an I'm-your-knight-in-shining-armory way. I extracted a stick of concealer from my purse like it was a magic wand or something and presented it to Tina. And she took it exactly that way. As if it were a magic wand, I mean. She grabbed it from my hand and practically flew to the mirror, applying it furiously on the Montana-sized bump. And, well, all I can say is, the concealer didn't work magic or anything, but at least it managed to cover up some of the impending pimple's furious redness.

Besides, I don't see what Tina was so worried about, since Boris basically thinks the sun shines out of her ass or something, whether she's wearing fifty tons of makeup or none at all. I told her this, but all she said was "Well, just because Boris doesn't say anything, that doesn't mean I shouldn't Make An Effort to look good for him, you know. Every girl should make an effort to look good for her boyfriend." And I gotta admit, I agree with that. I mean, I most certainly don't want Michael dumping me because I embarrass him by looking like an ugly freak whenever I'm with him. So. Totally. Make An Effort.

So, once we were done dealing with Tina's crisis, we left quickly so that we could be in time to meet the guys for lunch.

OK…we've reached SoHo! I'm DYING to see the dress Tina's talking about. I've always been a big fan of Nicole Miller's dresses anyway – remember the black dress with the butterfly hem and the slit up its side back during Michael's senior prom and my freshman year?

**Friday, June 30, 1:25 pm, in the limo on the way to the new Chinese restaurant**

OMG OMG OMG Tina was SO right about the dress!!!!! It's THE MOST GORGEOUS THING EVER and it actually makes me look like I have breasts! Even though Tina keeps saying that a B-cup is not flat-chested. But whatever. I LOVE THE DRESS! I'm totally wearing it tomorrow. I don't care even if we're just nipping down to Number One Noodle Son or something (WE HAVEN'T PLANNED MY BIRTHDAY YET!!!!!! I JUST REALIZED!!!! GOTTA DO SOMETHING!!!!) I'm still going to wear the dress!!

**Friday, June 30, 2:15 pm, ladies' room of Nha Trang Restaurant**

Michael and Boris have been acting totally weird since we got here and met them, and looks like Tina's joined the rank!! They keep giving each other these funny furtive glances like they don't want me to be here. And God bless whoever designed this place, the ladies' is a convenient distance from where our table is, so even though I can't quite catch their exact words, I can still hear them talking frantically and fast. Damn. I wish I could hear their conversation properly!

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_**So..? How was it?? Good, I hope! Please review!**_


	3. Chapter Three

_**Hey Everyone!**_

_**Thanks for the great response!!!! It really made my day seeing all those reviews! :D**_

_**And haha...I realized that I had put the wrong date for Mia's journal entry in the last 2 chapters - it should be APRIL the 30th and not June, since Mia's birthday is supposed to be on May the 1st. So I've made that correction from this chapter onwards!**_

_**Anyway...read and enjoy! And don't forget to review please! :)**_

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**Friday, April 30, 9:45, the Loft**

OK. So I so totally didn't find out what the whole being-weird deal was about with Michael, Tina and Boris. When I came out, I would totally have been able to tell that they were talking about me even if I hadn't been eavesdropping from the ladies'! It's frustrating, I tell you.

Anyway…after eating, we all had this huge argument about whether or not Nha Trang is better than the Number One Noodle Son. I immediately said NO WAY because hel_lo_ – which Chinese restaurant worth its salt doesn't serve COLD SESAME NOODLES!?!?!?!?! Yes – I kid you not: the Nha Trang does not serve cold sesame noodles.

Boris agreed with me (an exceptional rarity, considering Boris and I agree on something exactly zero times out of ten under normal circumstances. Although, of course, Boris had a totally different – and if you ask me, rather bland – reason to support me – that the soy sauce was too salty, whereas the one at the Son is perfect. I mean hello – the Nha Trang probably doesn't even make its own soy sauce), whereas Tina and Michael said that Nha Trang totally was. Better than the Number One Noodle Son, I mean.

Michael said that the kung pao chicken he ordered was better than the one at the Son – I couldn't judge, being a vegetarian – and Tina said the ambience was better. To which, I replied, "Ambience? That isn't even a criteria of judgment here! We're talking about FOOD." But Tina totally wouldn't budge and just kept saying that Nha Trang was better (well, she had never been as big a fan of the Son as me, anyway, I guess), and I knew better than to try and convince Michael otherwise once HE had made up his mind. I mean, will of steel much?

So we walked out of the restaurant still arguing, when the host came running out to catch up with us and told us we hadn't paid. Embarrassing is NOT the word. Anyway, THAT caused us to abandon the argument at hand and start ANOTHER one entirely – although this was more between the guys than me and Tina – about who was going to pay. They ended up splitting the check 50-50.

After this, nobody seemed to have the energy to argue anymore – thank goodness – and the guys said they were going to the video arcade (yes – guys apparently don't grow out of such things whether they're sixteen or twenty-five) so they'd see us later, and Tina and I headed off to do some more shopping.

And all I can say is, I would be – not to sound, as Grandmere says, 'common', but – totally screwed if I didn't have my allowance as Princess of Genovia since I'd turned eighteen three years back. I mean, yeah, I know that dad told me I'd better be careful with it since it'd only get replenished once a year, but the stuff we saw today…well, it'd be a SIN to not buy them when they were there!!!! We got the following stuff. And even though there aren't that many THINGS, we still spent a fortune because of WHERE we got it from. Namely: Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel…you get the idea.

[_A/N: If you aren't very fashiony, feel free to skip the upcoming list…but if you are, then enjoy :)…plus, if you're interested, I've put the links to pictures of all the items listed below. Yup – I'm that jobless: I actually Googled all this stuff…haha _]

1. The coolest pair of open-toe Jimmy Choo slingback pumps in black to go with my birthday dress  
_**(follow this link to see: /blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jimmy_choo_slingblack_black_pump_bluefly_flypaper_)**_

2. A pair of pink skinny jeans from Gucci for me (which according to Tina make my legs look miles long. Ha ha…I guess it does help to be 5'10")  
_**(./2007/07/tripskinny_)**_

3. The cutest pleated mini skirt from Louis Vuitton for Tina. (It looks super-cute on her now that she's lost all the baby fat she used to have back in high school and has nice legs too! Plus, she's totally on a short-skirt spree since she got laser hair removal done and therefore doesn't have to worry about shaving or waxing or anything any longer. I considered it too – the stubble I get a few days after shaving, no matter how well, is a pain in the you-know-where, but I pretty much changed my mind when I saw Tina biting her purse in order not to scream from the pain.)  
_**(.com/img/item/951/597/06/o_)**_

4. A faux fur stole from Guess (faux of COURSE. And well the stole was bought more or less as a joke because if _I_ wear it and get photographed by the paps – which of course I will, if I step out of the house in it, and of course you don't sit around at home wearing a faux fur stole – Grandmere will K.I.L.L. me. She says they are ultra last season and hence completely distasteful. Really…that woman should SO not have that much control over me even when she's sitting in Genovia and not in The Plaza here in NYC, ten blocks away from me like she used to back when I was in high school. And Tina…well, I don't see her wearing fur. So maybe I can gift it to Lana or something. SHE would totally wear it)  
_**(./Unnamed%20Site%)**_

5. A purply-maroon – there was a name for it which Grandmere told me but I can't remember – clutch (which Tina says goes very well with my birthday dress since it's not black so it breaks the monotony since my shoes are black too, and goes with the look of the outfit. Although where the heck am I going to get to wear all this stuff??? I mean yeah I know I said that I'd wear it tomorrow even though there's no real celebration planned and even if we go to the Son, I can't carry a GUCCI CLUTCH there!!! I'd look like I total freak!!!!!)

Well, as you can imagine, we were pretty wiped out after trying so many things and travelling up and down (neglect the fact that we were in the limo), so once we were done with Guess, we decided to call it a day.

I remembered the lack of planning for my birthday just as I was dropping Tina off on her doorstep. Tina just nonchalantly said, "Oh, let's go out for dinner or something I guess…we can invite the guys…Lana, Trisha...Lilly…Perin and Ling Su…Bunch of people you know…"

I wanted to yell "This is my TWENTY-FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!! We're supposed to be at a PUB or something, getting me drunk for the first time!!!! Not having some poxy dinner which we'd do any other day of the week!!!!!" I mean, it would be nice to have a party befitting people who are legally allowed to get plastered. At a pub. I mean, I've had my eye on the Town Tavern forever. And I suppose I would have been able to get in there and pass off as a 21-year-old anyway, but thanks to me being a princess, pretty much everyone knows my real age, and the bouncer was WAY too terrified that he'd get arrested or something for letting me in, so he totally shooed me off. Politely of course, but still. I mean, I'm not implying that I want to start off the 21st year of my life by losing control of my senses, but it would be nice to be able to drink something OTHER than the stupid wine I have with food at state dinners and stuff. And I know that that wine is pretty much the best, usually, but that doesn't change the fact that I simply don't have a taste for it and that it's BORING. A gin and tonic or a screwdriver or something – heck, even a BACARDI BREEZER, the weakest alcohol there is – would be WAY cooler!

And OK…I suppose I could have helped matters by organizing the party myself or something. But then I'm just the kind of deluded moron who loves the idea of surprise parties and consequently believes that her friends have to –and will – throw her one.

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**_So..? What's your verdict? Good? Bad? Terrific? Terrible? Whatever it is, leave me a comment knowing what you think!  
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